Ashley Lebedev posted a photo:

Hello all!
Just wanted to post a quick snap of the 10 piece spread in the print mag, "Pictures" which came out last month in Germany.

Thank you to the amazing people who sent me copies as well as the magazine for giving Faerieland more coverage.

I did a really fun interview and gave my top shooting tips to all photographers & then translated it back to English & will post here below, for any newbies looking for tips or seasoned photogs looking for some insights & inspiration, or for anyone feeling stuck. <3

Thanks guys, always & I'll be posting more over here again as well as 500px, as the new season of shooting is about to begin for all 3 collections.
There are a lot of publications & I'll try to post a few more over here. Full list of everything on my bookface, etc, etc.

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***ACCOMPANYING INTERVIEW:

Q: How old are you, Ashley?
A: 30

Q: Where do you live today and where do you come from?
A: Currently, I reside in Minneapolis, MN in the Midwestern Region of the United States. I travel more than I’m home, but this is where I’m from.

Q: What was your first picture? Do you remember the name of the camera, which one you used?
A: My first picture was actually an incredibly memorable moment. I photographed an abandoned house that stood on the property of the farm I grew up on, as it was being burnt down to the ground. It stood for over 100 years and it was a really bittersweet moment. The sun was setting & I got a gorgeous flare in that photo, through the flames, but it was sad to see it go. I spent many long hours as a child playing in all of the abandoned rooms and I think it was quite apropos to watch the entire thing happen behind the lens of my camera.
That first camera was an entry level DSLR, a Canon Rebel Xti.

Q: How would you describe your style of photography?
A: Well, I’m a fine art conceptual portrait photographer with a style that I would say is quite painterly or often reminiscent of the old pictorial photographers. I’ve often been told my work is similar in feeling to two of my favorite painters: Maxfield Parris & John William Waterhouse. Additionally, I’m a storyboard photographer, meaning that most of my work is centered around taking photos that in entirety can be placed together to relay a long and cohesive story, all together.

Q:Where are you finding your themes and subjects?
A: These days my ideas almost always come to me when I’m out in nature. I’m incredibly inspired by the trees & fields where there are no other sounds beyond the wind & birds and my breath. I’ve spent a great deal of time in the last year all over the USA, as well as Iceland, England, Scotland & Germany, and I was usually overlooking some old castle, or deep in a forest, or walking on a foggy moor when I’d get another idea I’d have to write down. I also find a lot of inspiration when reading old books of dark fairytales or the history of folk lore.

Q: How long is your average working time for your works? How long did you take for the photo-series “Faerieland”?
A: Faerieland has been in production since 2010, with plans to run another few years, so that all of the characters I’ve written can finally come into reality. Each piece within Faerieland takes a week or so of preparation, with my longest character taking one month of prep’ work, as my team and I had to build giant mushrooms and first had to experiment and learn how to do that. Each shoot, once ready, usually takes about 3 hours for the model in hair and makeup and then about an hour out on the location for me to photograph it.

Q: Where does your inspiration come from?
A: I find that travel is a huge way to be immediately inspired. As with most people, I am always inspired in going somewhere I’ve never been before.
And again, just spending time in a forest or with my nose in an old history book or books on folk-lore. I love all mythology as well.

Q: What do you want to express with your pictures and why are you choosing this form/style?
A: Of course we know every photo taken is really just a self portrait of the photographer, whether the photographer is physically in the frame of the image or not and so I just want to express myself and subtly attach my voice to each piece. I have always been drawn to subject matter that has [often] been described as being a bit dark or a bit sad, with glimpses and glimmers of hope. I try to relay and represent, through whatever storyboard I’m working on, a sort of balance between a lightness and darkness and photography is a perfect way to express that. I think my pieces are a metaphor for the light and dark in each of us, as people (and how we move through our lives) each trying to continuously find that balance within and go on that journey.

Q: If you look into the near future, where would you see yourself in five years from now?
A: My dream for my work, is to have books for each storyboard. Photography is powerful and much more-so off of a computer screen and printed. I want each of my storyboards to become one day, books, so that people can curl up by a fire or out in the woods & get lost in cinematic visuals finding their own well & pools of inspiration.
And for two of my bigger collections, I want to show them in a gallery, in one of the major cities of either the USA or in Europe.

Q: Do you work much with Photoshop? How long does it take for your pictures?
A: Because my work is meant to look a bit like a painting and quite ethereal, I work quite a bit in Photoshop, giving it a dreamy coloring and cinematic feeling, but always strive to keep that balance of adding to an image without taking away from it.
My longest picture “Lith” (part of Faerieland) took one month to edit, though it wasn’t one long sitting session but rather, me coming back to it, every few days to have another go at finding just the right colors. The longest that any one piece has taken in one continuous sitting though, is my image “Elemental” which took I think 48 hours of just going until it was finished. Or perhaps “Nairn” which was my first attempt at hand tinting an image I took in B&W, into color.

EXPERT TIPS PORTION OF FEATURE:

Q: Would you care to share five killer tips with our readers, to get some pictures in Ashley-style?
A: YES!

TIPS:

1. Stop following the rules of photography, once you know what they are and how to use them! Once you have the foundation of how to use your camera, start to think outside the box and experiment with your work and subjects. Take the technical side of what you’ve already learned and then put a twist on it. Shoot from different vantages, don’t be afraid to get dirty on a shoot and be willing to look silly as the photographer. It’s worth it to find a style that fits who you are and to get the shot that sets it apart.
2. Don’t be afraid to take time to really plan a shoot, conceptually. I find with my teaching people all over the world, that most photographers shoot all the time and burn themselves out of both shooting and having fresh ideas. They just go, go, go. I work in the opposite way. I spend most of time becoming inspired while shooting less and planning more. Don’t be afraid to take a break from mindless shooting to plan a bigger and more meaningful shoot for yourself, such as trying your hand at building props, casting an appropriate model, sourcing the right outfit and studying the light of your locations, so that when the time finally comes, it’s a very powerful shot.

3. Experiment with working in a creative team. It’s such a fun experience collaborating with other creatives, like designers or makeup artists. It makes for great company and a new perspective on your ideas & they double as great people to help hold reflectors and assist with just about anything during the shoot.

4. Lenses are more important than your camera. Learn about lenses, how they differ and why they look different, and pick the ones that are best for your style of work and how you want your work to look. Personally, I prefer prime lenses and the 3 lenses I cannot ever live without, are my 35 mm, my 50 mm and my 85.

5. To create powerful work, you have to get inspired. Get out there, get out in your day, and find what inspires you! You can’t just do the same old thing every day and expect to someday just get a jolt of inspiration. Inspiration only comes when you change up your daily habits and routine. Be intentional about getting inspired. That’s where growth happens.
Take a new way home from work. Take a weekend drive out of the city. Carry a journal with you. Watch movies you’ve never seen before and read books that you think might not interest you. With every experience in which you experiment with doing something new, you inevitably will learn something about yourself and it will show in your work.

Q: Is there anything else you want to tell our readers?
A: Photography is a doorway. Don’t be afraid to walk through that doorway. It can change your life and if you let it, it *will* change your life, by changing what you see and how you see it. Don’t be afraid of expressing what you find or who you are through your viewfinder. Don’t be afraid that your work might not be liked by everyone. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that your work is something that fulfills you and continues to allow you to grow. Your work may not be for everyone, so just make sure it’s for YOU and if you do that, you absolutely cannot go wrong.